Short hops and hard knocks with Red Sox beat writer Ian Browne.

Schilling's season (and maybe career) over

Curt Schilling just announced he will have surgery on Monday, effectively ending his season, and perhaps his brilliant career.

The right-hander made the announcement in his typically unfiltered way — on WEEI-850 AM.

Here is a complete transcript

“We’ve had a rough couple of weeks so a lot of stuff has
happened over the last couple of days. I met with Dr. [Craig] Morgan in Philadelphia, who then
conferred with Dr. Gill. The setback got to a point where we had to make some
decisions. I’m going to have shoulder surgery on Monday of next week and then
we’re just going to kind of go from there.”

Surgery dr. morgan recommended at beginning of rehab?
“it’slot of things. I’m not exactly
sure. We’re still nailing down exactly what kind of surgery it’s going to be. ”

End your season? “Yeah. Yeah, it does.”

Characterize the setbacks? “Painful. I never could get
past a certain stage. The analogy I tried to use to explain to people where I
was at was, if you use a scale of 1 to 10 and 10 is pitching in a big league
game, I’m at about a 3 right now. if you used a pain scale of 1 to 10, I’m
probably at a 1 to 2 from a discomfort standpoint. When I try to make the move
in effort from 3 to 4, my pain goes from 1 or 2 to 7 or 8.”

Morgan right? “I don’t know, and, I don’t care. There’s a
chance – a lot of things could happen here. My season is over. There’s a pretty
decent chance that I’ve thrown my last pitch forever so I don’t care. It
doesn’t matter. I’m going into make it not hurt anymore, which is pretty much
all I care about.”

“the rehab, I got strong. Everybody involved is very
pleased and in some cases, Dr. Morgan’s case, is ecstatic with the amoung of
strength that I have in my shoulder. I remember making the comment a copule of
months ago, talking about it with people, my fear was that I’d get strong and
be able to do all this awesome strength stuff, but at the end of the day,
wouldn’t be able to pitch. that’s kind of what happened. Functionally, my
shoulder is incredibly strong. From a rehabilitation standpoint, if there isn’t
career-ending damage, you know, I’m in an incredibly good position to have
surgery. I can’t throw a pitch. when you’re a pitcher, that’s a problem.”

Surgery on the biceps? “yes, and then some other stuff. there’s a lot
of other stuff going on.”

Labrum and rotator cuff? “Yes and maybe. Until he goes in
there and gets done, anything is speculation other than the tendonesis. In my
mind, it got to a point where there are two possibilities. One of them is
surgery. And off of surgery, there are two potentials. I could wake up after
the surgery and be told, you know what, it’s been a good run but you’ve got no
shot at getting back out there, which is something that, to make this decision,
I had to be OK with. It’s a potentially likely scenario. The other one is, Ok,
we fixed it, but whatever happens between now and when you decide to pitch
again will be five times as much as you’ve ever had to do fromrehabilitation standpoint. Those are the two
surgery results. The third one, or the second option to me was, my career is
over today. If I don’t have surgery, my career is over today. So, you know,
I’ve had to kind of sit back and weigh those options and figure out what we
wanted to do.”

Pain all the time? “It started to get painful again, non-throwing
pain, which is a huge part of the equation. I went through four months of
strengthening with no pain whatsoever and I was excited about the fact that I
was not generating inflammation and pain given the intensity and the rigor with
which we were doing with the work. But at some point here, we got to a point
that I imagined we might get. I just hoped we’d get there at the end of the
process. Where throwing went from beingkind of an uncomfortable thing to a downright painful thing. when the
pain increases, the amount of time it lingers afterwards changes. it’s starting
to move in that area.”

“it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to do a case study.
I’m 41, I’ve got over 3,000 innings under my belt and there was a period of
time where those innings were stacked on top of each other for a lot of years.
I know, when you read an MRI and
it shows things, generally it shows the bare minimum. When you get opened up,
you add a lot to the mix. I’ve got some issues beyond the biceps, that I’m sure
will be fixed, and I’m pretty comfortable will be fixed, but I’m very ready for
other stuff to be wrong.”

Why pitch again? “I don’t know. Again, that’s part of the
decision making process at the end of the day. Under no circumstance would I do
anything to pitch next season as a whole. In a perfect world, if there was
minimal to negligible damage once it was opened up and I got fixed, coming back
next year would be something I would look at as an option depending on the time
and effort involved. But it wouldn’t be a full season. I would come back and
set it up, maybe to pitch the second half of the season. and again, that is
going to be a potential only if getting literally completely healthy is an
option.”

Why bother? “I’ve still got some fire. It’s one of those things where, take it for the way it’s intended, I don’t want it to end this way but
if this is the way it has to end, I’m ok with that. if it’s over and my last
pitch was in the 2007 World Series, honestly, I’m OK with that. I just cant’
stress enough where I am mentally with this. I have not a regret in the world.
None of this makes me bitter or angry or pissed. It is what it is. in that
sense, honestly, it’s very, very easy for me because of what I’ve been able to
experience compared to what I wanted when I first started my career. If I have
some say in how this is going to end, I want it to be different than it is
right now.”

“I’m smart enough to understand if I did everything I
wanted to do, and did everything I could do and needed to do and I was healthy
and was better than that 2007 end of the season guy and it wasn’t painful, I’ve
got a decent track record after September. Putting myself out there next
All-Star break as healthy, and auditioning for whoever is in contention and
pitching the final three months of the season kind of in a David Cone hired gun
kind of thing, I wouldn’t care where it was or what it was.From a personal standpoint, my family is OK
with that.”

Wasn’t 2007 the perfect ending? “Yeah, well, it didn’t
unfortunately. Unfortunately my career ended with me taking a paycheck for six
months and not pitching. I feel good about the fact that I went back to them
and restructured the deal. Not getting paid to weigh in. Part of me feels bad
about the fact that all this happened to begin with. At some point and time
during this process, there was a lot of things in question about me from an
integrity-principal standpoint and I hope those things aren’t in question with
the people involved anymore. But I never intended for this to be the way it is.
I never misled anybody. We are where we are because I got hurt and I can’t
change that.”

Hang around the team still? “I would really like to pull
a Mark McGwire in a sense for my family’s sake and it’s probably the right
thing to do. From an outside of the Red Sox standpoint. I don’t know what the
club wants me to do. I don’t know what they’d like me to do, if anything. If we
have that discussion, I’m sure I’ll talk about it.”

Dr. Morgan will perform surgery? “Yeah. [in Delaware].”

“Dr. Gill was trying to accommodate a request to sit in
on the surgery and I apologize for not remembering his name, but the gentleman
who actually invented the procedure, the transfer of the bicep muscle, he’s at
UConn, is actually going to come down and sit in on it as well.”

Air out of balloon? “Don’t. It can’t. It shouldn’t. I’ve
been blessed a billion times over and I’ve been given far more than I ever
could have imagined. To be able to spend the last couple of years as a member
of this franchise and in front of these fans is a gift I’ll never be able to
repay so this is not a funeral. It’s not a bad thing. I’ve been given a billion
times more than I ever dreamed I could get, to be able to finish it here, if
that’s what happens, is OK. I have nothing but appreciation and love and
gratitude for the people that root for this team, and teammates of mine so it’s
not a bad thing.”

“This was unfortunate in the way it ends, but that’s
life. It doesn’t bother me. I’m not mad that I didn’t get to pick the way I walked
away. Part of that is my fault in a good and bad way. again, it’s not a bad
thing and I appreciate the condolences so to speak. I’ll give you a good
example. I’m talking to a woman named Bridget who is 31 years old and a picture
of perfect health and 25 weeks pregnant and has stage four cancer, and has six
to nine months to live. That’s tragedy. This is not. This is, 22 frickin years
I’ve been playing this game. Again, I would hate to think I’m not going to get
a shot. But if I don’t, I don’t.”

“This is all about perspective. Wouldn’t we all like to
throw a no-hitter in the World Series at the age of 40 in our last start and
walk way? Who wouldn’t. That’s not real life.”

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206 Comments

I am sad for Schilling, but he really puts it in the right perspective, which is healthy. I would love for him to come back and pitch a half season with us, but I think that’s wishful thinking if he comes back at all!

Schilling not going to pitch this season, next someone is going to say Christmas is in December. I have no idea if he’ll pitch again. I’m not sure if he knows right now. Thanks for the great years Curt, you weren’t around Boston a long time but long enough to win 2 titles. I have written this before, he should never have to pay for a drink in Boston again. He is one of the best post-season pitchers I have ever seen. Also he gave his opinion on alot stuff, unlike most athletes. I like his candid, even though sometimes I didn’t agree. You gotta love honesty. Most athletes just say the same old thing. Alot of cliche’s. Which I think is very boring.

I’ll miss Curt Schilling as well. Who can forget 2004 or 2007 or the influence he had over Josh Beckett. Red Sox support their players and that’s a good thing. From what I read Curt renegotiated his contract to not have the Sox have to pay his $8 million. That’s incredibly fair. Schilling may be a lot of things but he’s honest and has a lot of guts.

I’m not a Dr. I guess only a guy like Dr. James Andrews or Dr. Frank Jobe could answer that one.

I think J.D. Drew knew it was time to elevate his play and he needed to step it up and too his credit he has. He has been the hottest hitter in baseball. I still don’t like the contract. My opinion on that will be the same. Just like Lugo’s deal, not in favor of that.

Let’s hope Boston continues to dominate at home and against the N.L. Ramirez should be back in the lineup, chances are he is the D.H. As long as he gets his 4 at bats.

Wakefield with a solid start his last time out. I expect him to do well tonight. No Pujols and that is a good thing for the Red Sox. Kind of lousy for the fans that don’t get a chance to see one of the best hitters in the game. Always great too see LaRussa come to Boston and lose. Certainly wasn’t the case when he managed the A’s back in the day. The A’s owned the Red Sox. I expect Boston to win at least 4 of the next 6 if not 5. Lohshe, Boggs and Pinero doesn’t strike fear in anyone unless your a fan of the Cardinals, lol.

I couldn’t agree more with you about Schill, both the fact that he should be the toast of Boston for the rest of his days, and that his candor is refreshing. IIIIkkkkessss!!!! (lol). Thank Goodness you recognize OSU will finish first in the NCAA football poll again this year (llllllooooolllll!!!!) (I couldn’t resist).

Who cares why JD finally found his hitting stroke as long as he has? While I recognize what you are saying about the extreme amount he is being paid by the Sox (didn’t he do the same thing A-Rod tried to do…but with better personal results???) you have to look at his production as an endorsement of the front office’s determination to bring him in. Their right field alternative at the time (Trot Nixon) while one of my absolute favorites, was out of MLB until recently, when he was picked up by the Mets, and is now “riding the pines” for them.

I recognize that I can’t get you to discuss CC Sabathia’s potential trade availability. However, if Big Papi can’t come back this season (yes, blasphemy, I know), do you think the Sox would show any interest in acquiring either Adam Dunn or Matt Holiday? Or do you think they would simply rely on their farm system, rather than trading a bunch of it. The Sox didn’t do such a good job with last year’s trade deadline deal (although Kason Gabbard has gotten lit up in his last four outings), how aggressive do you think they would be this year for a hitter to replace BP?

Its ironic. I was in Cincy last Saturday to see the Sox win in extra innings, and watched Wake twirl a good game without winning. I’m heading to New England Tues, and have tix to take my family to Weds. eve’s game at the Fens. Looks like I’ll see Wake twirl again. Last year, it seemed like everytime I showed up to see the Sox, Dice-K was on the hill. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see the Sox whenever, but I would like to see Beckett pitch sometime, or maybe Jon L. Unfortunately, when he returned to the mound last Summer in Cleveburg, I was on a long-prior planned trip to No. California!!!

I know Kevin Cash is not hired to hit…but really. With so many down days…can’t he hit the batting cages and take some responsibility for is 0 for 218 streak (I’m being a bit sarcastic here).
Lugo does a sac fly. Question:

Lugo had a 3 – 1 count. Shouldn’t he have worked towards ball 4 instead of a sac fly?

Sabathia could end up getting dealt and perhaps he could be N.Y. bound and end up with the Yankees. Perhaps Cano will be in the deal. N.Y. will be spending big $$$$ at the end of the year on Sabathia so they might as well and try and get him in late July. It would be a nice move by the Yankees, getting a quality lefty and having him pitch at Yankee Stadium. Shapiro should deal Sabathia away because he’ll lose him and only get a draft pick in return.

I would not want Adam Dunn on the Red Sox. Adam Dunn is a free agent at the end of the year and I am not in favor of renting him for a couple of months. If Ortiz does comeback this year, he will not be the same Ortiz anyway. Some people think he’ll be back and be Oritz again as if nothing happened. Not the case. There also is a possibility of him not playing until next year. I wouldn’t be surprised either way. Holiday would be very intriguing but the Rockies aren’t going to give him away. I don’t think Holliday will end up in Boston. Theo will not give up the farm to get him. I think the Red Sox could end up getting a bat on the second tier level. Can’t think of anyone out there, perhaps you can.

This Cardinal lineup without Pujols is pretty weak. Alot of outs in this lineup for St. Louis.

How about Dusty Baker saying Justin Masterson reminds him of Don Drysdale. Imagine that, lofty praise. His three quarter delivery and his sinker and slider. I think Dusty needs to be checked. I really like what I have seen from Masterson but Drysdale?

The Don Drysdale I remember was a freakin’ headhunter. He had that big, roundhouse curveball, and as often as not it was waaaaayyyy inside, and at the batter’s head. Go ahead, dig in against Dandy Don (lol).

As far as Sabathia goes, I think I told you in an earlier message about the interesting t. v. program I watched with felon Bruce Drennan (betting problems, but bring him back anyway). I think its fair to say the Cleveland fans are giving up, and so are the commentators. I think that ultimately, CC will be as reviled in Cleveland for seeking the BIG $$$$ as the Rocket was in Beantown when he left for Toronto. I can’t tell whether the Indians recognize that the Yanks and the Sox are not likely to be drawn into a bidding war, based on their restraint with Santana. I sincerely do not think the Indians will offer Sabathia enough money to keep him, so I expect him to get peddled in the next 6 weeks.

While the Indians are only 8 games out of the AL Central, they are gaining no traction. The have a series away vs. the Dodgers, then home against the Giants and the Reds. If they can’t get closer in those games, they spend the balance of June and much of July playing against the Twins, Tigers and White Sox (total — 15 games between now and the trading deadline). I’ve got to believe that as those games play themselves out, the Indians will conclude they have no realistic chance at the play-offs and more particularly, the World Series.

That being said, you have to recognize that they have basically lost Jake Westbrook for the season, Fausto Carmona is down, Travis Hafner is injured and was not hitting well before his injury, and Victor Martinez is going to be down long enough that the Indians just brought in Sal Fasano to back up former Soxer Kelly Shoppach behind the plate. (The announcement was made by a guy named Mirabelli..you have to wonder why they didn’t bring in Doug M. Given those choices, I would have!!!)

What on earth is going on with Kyle Lohse? Does he fancy himself a world beater, or what?? And what’s with another error by Lugo. Does he have a death wish or something?

My goodness Lugo is a horrendous fielder. I don’t think there is any chance he finishes out this contract in Boston. No way. I’ll stuff the $9M down my own throat if the Sox need help eating it. What passes out as stool will smell better than Lugo’s fielding.

If Papi doesn’t come back… My bet is Bonds. Makes perfect sense. Easy on his body, likely reasonable price (anything is better than nothing to Bonds). In fact, I recommend signing him right now… Get him warmed up quick.. Rationale:
– DH when Papi is down (like NOW)

Continued…
– Pinch Hitting
– Occasional OF (He might not be good, but he has played the field 20+ years. At least he knows what he’s doing)
– Could be trade bait if he actually hits and we don’t really need him
– Keep him out of NY. Bonds would be a better hitter than their current DHs.

That strike 2 pitch to Moss was about 7 inches outside. Completely obvious even before the replay. Instead of 3-1 count, it’s 2-2. Horrendous call impacted the game.

I think he would accept a reasonable price for a chance at a ring… especially when he has no other offers. He’d play Mid-July to the end for about $5M with incentives. That is a pretty good insurance policy.

There is no chance the Indians will sign Sabathia at the end of the season so they might as well deal him in late July. Boston and N.Y. will come calling, among other teams. Shapiro is an excellent g.m. so I am sure he has a game plan regarding Sabathia. Hafner wasn’t hitting even when he was healthy, his bat has disappeared. Victor Martinez being out has hurt them for sure. Peralta is one of those guys that Shapiro locked up and he hasn’t done much at the plate. I think they should put Martinez at first anyway, his bat is too good. Behind the plate is a daily grind, if he went to first he would hit much better. I thought the Indians were one of the teams to beat when the season started but they’ll be lucky if they finish above .500 The Tribe are looking like the Tribe of the past. I guess expectations got the best of them this year.

Remember how Manny got stuck on 497 and then the next three came very slowly? Ok, typical. Well my theory is he has another number stuck in his head to a far greater extent. 23 grand slams! How long has he been stuck on 20 GS? since 2005 I believe. It is got to where when the bases are loaded, and Manny is up, I am thinking oh no — best we can hope for is a single or double at best. I think the all time GS record definitely has been (and is continuing to) affect him at the plate when the bases are loaded.

Good news for the Red Sox and there fans, Timlin goes on the D.L. He has a bad knee and I assume a bad neck as well.

Looking forward to seeing Dice-K today and get the Sox back on there winning ways. I hope Dice-K is efficient and throws strikes against a very average lineup. Boston had there fair share of chances last night but didn’t capatialize. I expect the Sox bats to bounce back and hit with runners in scoring position.

Lets hope that Dice-K comes back ready to go. He went on the D/L with a “tired arm” and I am sure hoping that was not indicative of larger problems. If the Sox are going to stay in this until the end and not get the “shot in the arm” that Schill reporting for duty would give them, they need a bunch of performance from Dice-K, Beckett and Lester. So far, they are getting most of it. Let’s hope that Dice-K comes back with more to give.

You finally responded to my inquiries about Sabathia, and suggested the Sox would show interest. Okay, you are “Theo for a Day”, who would you consider offering in July (presuming that Sabathia would accept your long term contract proposal) to lock him up as a member of the Sox staff? Also, who do you think the Indians would ask for? I suspect that Lester and Ellsbury are automatically requested (not saying I would part with either), but do they now ask for Buchholz or Masterson, and would you give up either to get Sabathia? Maybe they’d take CoCo back and put him in left or right field, what do you think?

Sabathia and Lester would give the Sox two lefthanded power pitchers in their rotation. I’m not sure I could tell you the last time they possessed that make-up. In 2000 the Sox had both Jeff Fassero and Pete Schourek, both lefthanders starting, but between them they only threw 237 innings. In 1998, the Sox had both Steve Avery and Pete Schourek, but the two of them only threw 167 innings. In 1995, the Sox had Vaughn Eshelman and Zane Smith, but they only combined for 192 innings. In 1994, the Sox had Joe Hesketh and Frank Viola, but they only combined for 145 innings.

You’d have to go back to 1992, when the Sox had Frank Viola and Joe Hesketh throw a combined 386 innings to suggest that the Sox rotation contained 2 lefthanders, but then I wouldn’t call them “power pitchers”, as they only stuck out a total of 225 batters in those 386 innings.

Before that, you’d have to go back to 1985, when the Sox had Bruce Hurst, Bobby Ojeda and Tim Lollar throw a total of 454 innings, striking out a total of 335 hitters. Suffice it to say, its been a while, and it would make for an interesting combination, particularly with all of the lefthanded Yankees hitters.

I’m not in favor of the Red Sox to trade for Sabathia. I think the Red Sox will only get involved to drive up the price. When push comes to shove, I don’t think the Red Sox will pull the trigger on a Sabathia deal. Shapiro isn’t going to just give him up to the Red Sox and Yankees. Could you imagine if he dealt him to Boston and the Red Sox won another World Series. Shapiro wouldn’t be able to show his face in Cleveland for a long time. He would get killed in your area.

They wouldn’t want to take Coco back. Shapiro would definetly want some good young players in return. Masterson? Bowden? Moss? Lowrie? We shall see. We can speculate until the cows come home.

You brought up some bad names, thanks for the bad memories. Tim Lollar ( He actually had a hit in a game for the Red Sox) Zane Smith ( Tony Pena takes him deep) Vaughn Eshelman ( who admitted taking some juice and he still stunk ) Frank Viola ( a great player for the Twins but not in Boston ) Pete Schourek ( Jimy Williams got alot of crap for starting him in game 4 against the Indians back in 1998) Jeff Fassero. Thanks for the headache, lol.

Dice-K looks HORRIBLE out there today. He replaced Timlin on the roster. He didn’t have to pitch like Timlin, lol. Dice-K looks like he is having a difficult time getting loose out there. He doesn’t look comfortable on the mound.

Dice-K is throwing beach balls up there today. Even worse, they are waist high, right down the middle. His fast ball is topping out at 90 mph but more often 86-87. Doesn’t look like he has much. Sox have to take the long road back, but at least it’s early.

There’s no diminishing what Schilling did for the Sox in 2004 finishing up with some real courageous stuff……. but it was obvious to the most casual observer he had nothing at the end of last year. But my perspective this year is that he’s a crook and I believe he entered into his contract knowing he had serious issues with his arm. Of course, there’s no way to prove that, but it would take a lot to convince me otherwise. So thanks Curt, for what you brought to the Sox, especially in 2004, but I think you ought to donate your earnings from this year to charity.

I totally agree with you about Schilling. He signed that deal knowing he wasn’t healthy. Of course it can’t be proven but I am with you, it would take me alot to convince me as well. I don’t think there is a good enough lawyer ( sorry dbenjamin) to convince me otherwise.

After Sabathia’s choke in the post season last year, and the high mileage on him, we would be crazy to trade for him, and won’t, but in this dog-eat-dog baseball world, I think boxsoxbrian is right, we will participate to make sure who ever gets him, pays too much… of course that is why we paid 100 million for Dice-K — wouldn’t that be a bust if we only get one year out of him? — I wonder if we could have won it all last year without him???, maybe – not sure we would have got thru the first half of the year like we did without Oki though.

There may be a storm coming our way (Schill out, Wake still up and down, Colon? Dice-K?, Oki?, Timlin?, Hansen? Lopez?, even Beckett not having a good year, but I am sure he will come around).

Beckett, Lester, Masterson, Papelbon — only reasonably consistent pitchers right now, and Lester just recently consistent, and nobody knows how long Masterson can keep it up before the league starts to figure him out more, plus I bet we would like to manage his pitch count for a boost at the end of the season and post season run.

If the bullpen does not gel, and Masterson, Buckholz, Colon, Dice-K, Wakefield — do not somehow combine for 3 solid spots overall, we might be in the rear view mirror this year.

Since you “called me out” as a lawyer, I feel an obligation to defend myself. The ballclub is in a much better position to protect themselves with required physical exams and such and interview questions, etc. Most “dumb *******” employees don’t have a chance of protecting themselves against an omnipotent employer, and here you are playing “Whoa are the poor Red Sox, they Got Schnuckered by Schill”. Schill had arm problems last year, no big surprise. The Sox knew it and gave him the contract they gave him.

When the Sox start volunteering to pay people like Dustin P or Jacoby additional compensation because the Sox received more performance than they bargained for, until then, the parties to each contract need to do their “due diligence” to protect themselves. If the Yanks want to spend lebenty leben million dollars (actually, $9+ Mil. per year) on a guy like Carl Pavano because he just won 18 games for the Florida Marlins, having only won 12 once before, and other than that, having never won more than 8 games in a season, they are able to do that…but don’t let them complain when he comes up lame for the entire duration of his contract.

gsm52 brings up an interesting concept in suggesting Schill contribute a significant portion of the contract compensation he will earn while not pitching an inning, to charity. I think that’s a noble idea. However, we need to recognize that Curt and his wife are two of the biggest supporters of righteous causes in the Greater Boston area.

If its sounds like I am a huge Schill supporter, I am. I only hope I can find myself in a position where Schill and I someday are in the same establishment and I can buy him and his party drinks all night. Whatever he gets, whatever he did, he deserves it and more.

I think Schilling knew when he signed that deal he was nowhere near 100%. He pulled the wool over there eyes. Red Sox front office/ownership did a poor job and they didn’t do there homework. I wasn’t a fan of bringing back Schilling this year anyway. As gsm said Schilling is a crook and I think those are pretty accurate words to use in this situation.

I have never written poor Red Sox, I have no idea where you are getting that from. Red Sox have more money than they know what to do with.

Schilling will have to wait a while to get to Cooperstown. I think he’ll eventually get there. If I had a vote I would say yes but obviously I don’t have a vote.

LOL! Now we’ve done it Brian, we have a lawyer involved. Dbenjamin, of course is correct in that both sides have a responsibility to exercise due diligence before entering into a contract. In reality, and based on Schill’s need to shut down over the past couple of years, his diminishing velocity and other factors, I believe the Sox did know they were taking a risk. Nevertheless, a risk implies that there is at least some chance that Schilling would be able to pitch this year. I believe when Schilling signed his contract, he was not healthy and he knew it. I also believe that Schilling and the Sox were at odds and did not agree on how to fix his shoulder. Ultimately, Schilling is getting what he originally wanted which was to be shut down and have surgery. I think this whole rehab thing was a fascade and from his perspective (there’s that word again), there was never any intent to pitch this year. Of course, only Schilling knows the truth for sure. All that being said, I appreciate what he brought to the Sox and what he has accomplished over his distinguished career. As far as Cooperstown is concerned, he would not get my vote. It’s not that he doesn’t deserve it, but I just think there are others who are not there who are at least as and probably more deserving. Among those I would include Jim Kaat, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris and maybe even Luis Tiant. All of them are at least as accomplished as Schilling.

The Sox did give both Pedroia and Ellsbury unsolicited raises this year. They weren’t huge, but they were recognition of the contributions the youngsters have made. I think for the most part, the Sox take very good care of their players. When they have to make tough decisions, they can do that too as was the case with Pedro, Damon and Lowe. Damon is having a good year this year, but for the most part, he has been less than spectacular in NY. Oh yeah, it’s another contract year. What a coincidence.

LOL, good stuff. We’ll have F. Lee Baliey and Robert Shapiro on here in no time, lol.

We could debate this matter all day and you know what nobody is going to change my mind or your mind, not even dbenjamin.

I think Schilling will get in eventually but certainly not a first ballot guy. It will take Schilling years to get in. Those pitchers you mentioned deserve to get in. I’m a big fan of Morris, along with Schilling one of the best big game pitchers during my time. That counts for something in my book. What you do when the lights are on in October.

The one player I always wanted the Sox to bring back was Lowe. He is so versatile and has one of those rubber arms. I don’t think he has ever been on the D.L. if he has perhaps one time. I think with Lowe, it came down to his off-field stuff. Just a hunch of course. The one thing that bothered me about the Red Sox when they let Pedro and Lowe go, they signed Wells and Clement. The Red Sox didn’t do there homework there for sure. Wells was well past his prime and Clement was afraid on the mound. That was proven when he took the mound in game 1 vs Chicago in 2005. He got lit up.

The Cards go for the sweep. I think that is very surprising. I thought Boston would win every series in the month of June, not going to happen. Let’s go Lester, keep pitching the way you have and get the Sox back on there winning ways!!!!!

Well, Lester had a nice game today except for the hiccup in the 6th. But if you only give up two runs, you should win. He gets to 101 pitches and he’s gone. He’s still throwing well, but he’s gone. I have more confidence in Lester as he’s going now than I do in DelCarmen coming out of the bullpen. This is the new dynamic of baseball I really don’t like.

A very lacklustre performance by the Sox today. Buck Martinez made an excellent point I think is very applicable to the Sox. He talked about good teams allowing teams with less talent to play with them. Martinez is exactly right. Today’s teams do not have that killer instinct. To me, it looks like they takes days off or something.

DelCarmen gets the outs, with a little help from an incosistent umpire. It looks good now, but at the time of the change, I still liked the Lester option better.

I think Lester went as far as he could. He let up an 0-2 hit to Miles to leadoff the 8th. Ludwick got good wood on that fly to right. If Lester pitches like that, he’ll get alot of wins. He was solid again.

That was an excellent call by the second base umpire. I don’t know if Pedroia was safe or out. An umpire must be able to see an out to call it. If the ump could not definitely call Pedroia out, he must make the safe call. Nice job.

This kid Perez has no clue where the ball is going. He has forgotten how to pitch. None of the pitches were even close. How does that happen? Perez has thrown a ball for years and he can’t find home plate. Give the kid a map, lol.

We had the discussion on whether Schilling should go to the Hall of Fame. I wonder, as the game continues to evolve into a pitch limited specialty game how the criteria for Hall of Fame election will evolve. There won’t be any more 300 game winners or 3,000 strikeout pitchers. I think Beckett was the only 20 game winner last year…… 200 innings in a season is considered a lot………. the complete game is a forgotten stat……… I doubt you’ll see 15-20 year careers because with the money players are making, there is no incentive for players to play that long. Now we have quality starts, holds and saves. What is a quality start anyway? There is no way pitchers of the present or future will be able to compare favorably with Hall of Fame pitchers of the past.

Also Youkilis striking out with the bases loaded, it came back and haunted them.

All they need is 1 run. I’ll be glad too see the Cardinals leave Boston. They have given the Red Sox a very difficult time. Never saw that one coming. I thought Boston would take 2 this weekend for sure if not all 3.

The funny thing about a quality start is it computes out to be an e.r.a. of 4.50. 3 runs and 6 innings qualifies for a quality start. That is quality? One thing for sure is it will get you all sorts of $$$$$.

A leadoff double and the Red Sox do not score. If Francona had to do it all over again, he would have had Pedroia swing away. Ellsbury is so fast, he could have stolen 3rd or scored from 2nd on a base hit. The Sox don’t deserve to win.

Absolutely, Francona and LaRussa are competing to see who can manage this game the worst — I can’t believe he gave up an out with Jacoby on 2nd (doesn’t matter for him 2nd or 3rd) with Pedroia hot today — and worst yet, he pinch hits his last outfielder for Casey — I couldn’t believe it — what is he going to do now — move Youk to right, and Casey to first — man, this is a bad as it has gotten it quite a while management wise. Still LaRussa should be home with a W already, had he not pulled Pinero with about 80 pitches and only a couple of hits.

Even though Okajima didn’t allow a run, he allowed 5 baserunners in 1 2/3 innings. One of them was basically a swinging bunt but 5 baserunners in that time span is way too many. Hansen came in and blew away Ludwick.

Even Lugo has never looked as pathetic as Cora, he could have walked home the winning run if he had just never swung his bat — I don’t think I have ever seen anyone look so bad at the plate — this is the ugliest game I can ever recall at this point.

Just thought I’d write to you. In watching today’s game, I’m sure you’re looking for the heaviest drink you can find to drown your sorrows. I mean, you give Papelbon the ball and what does he say “this is a great opportunity for Oki to get his confidence back” Then you witness game opportunity after game opportunity and what are you getting back “we tried to get a hit but those big St. Louis guys are really, really tough and they just scare me so much”
I know Terry. I know how tough it is. Now two days in a row your bullpen is being drained dry. You’ve used everyone up I believe and perhaps have nobody left. You have no bench with all the injuries and frankly you’re tired. Terry — my permission is given to leave the ballgame, get totally drunk and then crash with pizza and a bad movie. I’m there for you!

Before I forget, you really need to take Manny with you. Right now he needs a drink. The poor man is dead at the plate and you both know it. Perhaps a drink and a movie with pizza might lighten him up a bit.

This is the most frustrating game I have watched in a longgggg time. I think St. Louis is ready to bust this one wide open. Boston has had there chances and for some reason they don’t want to win. NO MORE LEADOFF DOUBLES!!!!

I don’t understand this. Hansen has been overpowering. I’m really beginning to hate situational baseball. I want one of those pitching jobs where I only have to get one out and pitch to right handed batters.

What a great throw by Drew. Duncan needs to take that piano off his back, he was out by a mile. Varitek can take a hit, he should play for the Pats.

This game reminds me of the last game before the all star break in 2006 against the White Sox. The Red Sox were going for the sweep and Papelbon couldn’t nail it down. I think the White Sox won in 18 or 19 innings.

I can’t believe I am going to say this, but I sure wish Casey and Cora weren’t in the game right now — they are both colder than winter right now — my guess we are going at least 14 — my theory is to claim this now, so I can eat my words !!!

Hansen deserved the win today. He pitched great and over-matched the St. Louis hitters. Okajima didn’t allow any runs but he walked the tightrope. My confidence in Oki is very low right now.

I would to know what the Red Sox hit with runners in scor. pos? I am guessing it must have been under .200. The Cards stymied the Red Sox bats all weekend, not an easy thing to do. I think the Cards will be a tough team to beat if they get in the playoffs. I think they’ll get the wild card. Cubs should win the Central. I have alot of respect for the Cards, I didn’t have many when this series started. A pesky team and they played without Pujols. I guess anytime you have LaRussa in your dugout, you have a chance. Even though I am not a fan of his but he is a great manager and will make Cooperstown for sure. A slam dunk in Cooperstown.

Bosoxbrian — well LaRussa may be a great manager, but his bonehead decision to pull Pinero with 81 pitches after a botched play by their Ankiel in center — gave us our only chance to win the game, which reluctantly agreed to after 6 more innings.

This game reminds me of the old saying “You can’t put lipstick on a pig” — I don’t know, did the SOX do that today?

I thought at the time it was a foolish descion as well to lift Pinero. The Cardinal pitchers stymied the Sox bats all weekend, especially with men in scor. pos. Red Sox had alot of chances on Friday night and yesterday but could never cash in. I also think there aren’t many pitching coaches better than Dave Duncan. Certainly a solid combo is LaRussa and Duncan. They have been together for several years. Here I am writing all this nice stuff about the Cards, they’ll probably lose 7 of there next 10 games, lol.

It was really frustrating to watch this weekend ‘s series. Game 2 was lost in the first innings. But in Game 1, just 2 timely fly balls would have won the game. Both Game 1 and 2 the Sox missed so many golden opprtunities to win. To me Coco miss-judged the hard hit ball in the 9th. The ball was catchable.
Lester continues to pitch well and Lopez surprisingly gets the job done lately. It wouold not be a bad idea to sit out Manny for a few games to wake him up.

I would disagree 007chow, I thought that fly ball in the 9th was ripped pretty well and it tailed back. It hit the base of the wall pretty hard. It would have been a very difficult catch and there’s no question Crisp would have hit the wall very hard if he did get to it.

That being said, the fly ball should never have happened. All of Papelbon’s blown saves have been on splitters he left up in the middle of the plate. Why he threw that pitch, I’ll never know. He was blowing them away with fast balls, as he always does. He only gets in trouble when he throws that God forsaken splitter. It’s a good pitch when he throws it out of the strike zone low. But he doesn’t have good command of it which was evident by the first two he threw to Duncan and wound up walking him. When he gets the splitter up, it has no movement and he might as well put it on a tee and say “hit me”. You get a guy 0-2, you blast him with the best stuff you have. I Pap’s case, 97 mph about chest high would to the trick. He and Tek both have to be smarter than that.

I agree with you about Papelbon and that pitch selection. Some high heat would have gotten the job done. As a pitcher you want to get beat with your best pitch. That pitch as you said is on a tee and any big league hitter will crush that pitch. Encarncion did and Kennedy as well.

I don’t know if Crisp would have made the catch but one thing we can all agree on is he misread it. He didn’t have a clue on that one. Ay ball hit right at you is a difficult one to judge, in this case a ball hit directly over his head. Crisp usually gets a great jump out there.

I am looking forward to Randy Johnson returning to Fenway — I know we have clocked him a few times, but it has surprised me how well he pitches against us even when he is struggling. At least this time he won’t be in a Yankee uniform, so minus the Yankee element, we can face him now straight up.

Yeah, Coco misread and did not have a good jump on the hard hit fly ball. I am not faulting Coco for not making the play. It was a difficult play. Perhaps Ellsbury would have caught the ball crashing into the wall.
Out of 4 Pap’s blown saves, at least the Sox came back to win 2 times.
Thankfully the Sox don’t have to face Brandon Webb. Drew brothers are in town.

Regarding Schilling, I think there’s a “legend” factor that will positively affect his HoF chances. In 20 years, the famous bloody sock will be as much a part of baseball lore as Babe Ruth calling his shot, George Brett’s pine-tarred bat, and Kirk Gibson’s home run.

Isn’t that why we visit the Hall of Fame in the first place? The numbers are important, but it’s the story behind the numbers that really matter. Curt Schilling has earned a well-deserved trip to Cooperstown.

It is amazing to me how walks come back to bite pitchers. Beckett is sailing along and walks the leadoff hitter. Before you know it he’s down 1-0 and the walked hitter scores. The worst pitcher in the world is going to get 7 of 10 hitters out. You just can’t give away free bases.

I saw on ESPN tonight where Curt Schilling said in an interview that he did not feel he is a Hall of Famer. He said that he has played with Hall of Famers and if the Hall of Fames is what he perceives it to be, he does not belong. Curt Schilling is an old school player and understands what the Hall is supposed to be, and probably understands where the game is headed. I admire him for his perspective on this issue.

I hate to say it, but the pitch Steve Phillips keeps calling a split is not a split. It is a curve ball or possibly a slider. Splitters from right handed pitchers do not break down and in to a left handed hitter. They move down and away.

Beltran spikes King Felix on a play at the plate. I could see his knees as targets the next two days! Keep those pitchers in a cage. And all you runners out there, be careful of rocks or curbs or, God forbid, a slippery base that you have to touch while making a left turn.

And did Aardsma buzz Byrnes intentionally, then a fist pump on the SO? Oh my!

Frustration continues. Argh….. Veritek was left stranded at 2d base after three outs. A leadoff double was wasted again and again. Did Francona know that one run might win the game for Beckett? Beck would pitch differently with one run lead into the 7th. Give D-backs credit. They can score 2 runs with a leadoff walk.

This game couldn’t have been any more predictable… I knew there was no way we were going to hit Haren… didn’t matter that he had a 7-4 record and ERA over 3. I knew we had no chance. As for more predictable… Varitek lead-off double after being 0-24 (the announcers told us that he would get a hit after announcing his massive slump)… then the obvious bunt call by Francona… and then the obvious blown bunt by Coco Crisp. I really hate Crisp… Maybe you think he would try to bunt down the third base line given Varitek was going to third? Bunting these days is about the worst call you can make given today’s players couldn’t bunt if there life depended on it. We all know Lugo would have hit a slow grounder to get the run in if Varitek was on third. I couldn’t watch the last 2 innings, but I had a strong feeling it would end up a 1-run game and sure enough it did… The Crisp bunt definitely cost us.

The Sox obviously can’t hit a pitcher with ERA less than 4 at least in the regular season. My apology to Francona. I didn’t watch the game live. It was Coco who…never mind. I had enough with this guy.
It is not fair to put so much pressure on Masterson who must pitch well after a tough loss. We do not want to see a consecutive series loss at home.

We can blame the individual — that’s easy but the entire offense is struggling. Pedroia, Varitek, Manny, Drew, Ellsbury, Lowell, Crisp, Lugo, Cora, etc., etc.
Ever since Manny came back to the lineup the Sox have battled to get a win. I don’t what attitude he’s bringing but the offense shut down completely when he took the bad in his hands.
Pitching has been pretty good actually but you can’t survive on this offense. The Sox usually get a run or two in, in the late innings after they go 0 for 15 or so. It’s sad. It keeps the opposing pitch count down and the confidence up. I saw the first Card’s game and said ‘this is the start of the downfall of the Sox’ So far I’m sadly correct. I hope that honestly changes because they cannot survive winning one out of three games over and over again. Houston is a tough team but the Sox have lost their killer instinct. They are playing as if they have already given up.

Yes… I forgot to put the double-whammy on Crisp for his ineptitude last night. He doesn’t freak out and charge the mound, we have Casey to back up Youk. Brandon Moss doesn’t bobble that grounder and give up a run that ended up being the difference. Little things do add up in a long season and Crisp certainly knows how to mess up the little things. I really wish we would dump him now that his trade value should be somewhat high .260 with speed would be superstar status in the National League… maybe if he could actually sacrifice bunt, he’d be gone by now.

What has happened to the Sox bats? In four games at Fenway they have scored 13 runs. With runners in scor. pos. they do not hit at all. I have seen this act on the road many times this year but not at Fenway. Boston usually smokes the opposition in Boston. When Boston was down 2-0, I thought to myself the way they are hitting it might as well be a 4 run deficit. Haren is a good pitcher but he isn’t that good.

Like just game 1 of Cardinal series, the Sox should have won the game last night. How good the pitching can be without offense and defense. AL East with the exception of Rays is not getting better than last year. The Sox should be pulling away from the crowd. But hey are not.

What bothers me about Dan Haren, well except for the fact that he beat the Sox, is that he never closes his mouth. I noticed it in the ’04 series and it gives me the heebee-jeebees. It’s like he got hit hard on the head and now he’s a slack-jawed idiot-savant and all he can do is throw a baseball. It’s absurd, I know, but I find myself talking to the computer monitor, admonishing him to close his mouth. Maybe I need to get a life.

I think its getting pretty ridiculous around the whole league with injuries. I’m not confident in the RedSox right now… mostly due to injuries. Papi – who knows when he’ll be back or how good he’ll be. Dice-K – couldn’t be any worse than his first outing back. Youks – pretty banged up. Manny – Hamstring woes affecting his play for sure. Bucholz – any news on his recovery? Colon? Schilling – out for good. We have had 10 guys on the DL this year… only 8 all of last year I heard. Thank God the Yanks are in the same boat.

Rayman, I think you’re right about the injuries. So far they haven’t affected the Sox too much, but with Papi out for an extended time and Manny not able to be Manny, the Sox will be challenged. JD did his part for a couple weeks, but he isn’t a guy who can carry a team for a long time. Maybe Mike Lowell can get hot for a month or 2. The starters have been least affected by all their injuries. The kids are really stepping up. But the Sox need Mike and Youk to get hot and stay hot.

Been reading the blog for awhile, thought I would finally jump in the pool. Went to the Youkilis walk-off game Sunday and then to the picnic in the park-would highly recommend this to you all-great experience. Most of the players were there signing autographs-Lester, DiceK, Ellsbury, Tek, Pedroia, Cora, Casey, Pap, Coco, Lugo, etc. Francona was also there and seemed very relaxed, in high spirits. I’ve noticed a lot of negativity recently, of course we all live and die with the team day to day, but my point would be to trust Tito, Theo and company. I recall the sox getting swept in Toronto late last year looking very lackluster but they stayed the course. The team is on course to win 95+ games, which should be playoff worthy.

Actually, things have been pretty positive here so far this year. But we’re Sox fans. In my experience that seems to be synonymous with “glass half empty” psychology. Never too early to get ready for doomsday, lol. Glad to have ya aboard, mdlashgari!

I would agree with you, most of us are fairly positive. Who in the world wants someone on here that says everything is just swell? LOL…..

I would like too see the Boston bats wake up tonight and get back on the winning track. Hit with runners in scor. pos.!!!! Win this series against the D’Backs. That is what I want. After this series, they hit the road for a while. A tough trip for sure. Boston should take 2 of 3 from Houston. After that the trip gets tough. Tampa Bay is very tough at home and then 4 against the Yankees. 10 games away from Fenway, not an easy thing.

Congrats to Jerry Remy, 20 years in the broadcast booth. I didn’t think he would last 20 games, lol. Remy has come a long way. When he first started he was pretty bad I thought. Remy has had some great partners, the late great Ned Martin and my favorite Sean McDonough and Bob Kurtz was o.k. I find him to be very entertaining and he is knowledgeable as well. Never a dull moment with Remy in the booth. It’s a long season but you can tell Remy loves what he does. Something tells me Remy will be doing the Red Sox games on N.E.S.N. for years to come. He is going nowhere!!!

Seems like about 10 years ago Remy was playing! Sheeesh! Always liked him as a player and even better as an announcer. Didn’t Ned martin do the games on the radio back in the day? He was great at creating a mental image for us who were out of TV range in the 60’s. Ned, Ken Coleman and our old friend Johnny Pesky. What great memories of summer nights!

Ned Martin did both radio and t.v. for the Red Sox. When I think of Ned Martin I think of him more of a t.v. guy, I guess I am younger than you, lol. Martin doing the games with Hawk Harrelson and Bob Montgomery ( last guy to bat without a batting helmet ) Those were the good old days. Games on channel 38. Martin did the Sox games for years, he was EXCELLENT!!!!

Masterson has about zero command tonight. He also has zero chance if the Sox bats don’t wake up a little.

Remy was a gamer. He showed up every day to play. He and Pedroia are very similar like that. He’s a great color guy for NESN. He knows baseball but he’s also got some personality unlike Migrane and some others. He and Orsillo can be hilarious. Sometimes when they get a guest up there I think they forget they’re broadcasting a baseball game.

I’m not worried about the upcoming road trip. I’m worried about this home stand where it’s looking like the Red Sox might lose 4 of 5 with Wakefield pitching tomorrow night as the stopper. Not a good situation on a home stand where they should probably have won 5 of 6.

Looks like all you have to do to beat the Red Sox right now is — throw strikes — what a cold streak.

Regarding some comments about Manny above, I am a firm believer in “pride goeth before the fall”, it happens every time, and it seems so conspicuous in athletes with big egos.

I have come to really like Manny over the years, he really is a funny quirky entertaining guy and a great baseball player. But I don’t think he has ever quite gained control over his ego (it seems to me). Earlier in the season, when Papi was struggling, Manny made a comment along this line “That’s ok, he will hit, and if he doesn’t, I will hit for him”. The press played this like a great, got your back comment. But it sounded to me more like his old ego coming through, wanting to be the guy that carried the team, even number 1 over Papi. As soon as I heard him say that, I thought, oh no, wish you hadn’t say that — your going to have to come off that mountain now — and it seems he has done so, for a while now, and in more ways than one.

Maybe this is a bunch of hog-wosh on my part, maybe I just notice it in the players that shoot their mouths off and don’t notice it so much those who don’t — its obviously very difficult to stay consistent as a hitter in MLB, you might as well not set your self up with added pressure from your own boasting.

I remember Ned Martin. he was an amazing broadcaster. I wish he had stayed on radio but it was a great opportunity for him to go to NESN. I remember Bob Montgomery too. He was hilarious. I mean the man was always knocking himself down. He was a great player for his time. I also remember Hawk Harrelson but I never liked him as a commentator. Jerry Remy is great but sometimes I think he’s forgetting his psychotropic drugs. I mean sometimes he throws out something that’s out of left field but that’s Jerry!
Sox will lose tonight and tomorrow. It’s going to be one bad homestand and it’s only going to get worse on the road. I see 17 out of the next 20 lost by the team (of course I’m being optimistic here!)

Now that I think of it, Martin, Coleman and Pesky traded back and forth. One would be doing TV and then come back to the radio. If I recall correctly they’d take 3 innings each of radio and TV. I used to cringe when Pesky did the play-by-play, he’d get all confused and start stumbling over his words. It was painful. Harrelson had one great year for the Sox, very consistent all year. He could hit. This was all pre-cable, if I wanted to watch a game on TV it was the Yankees on channel 11. Phil Rizzuto–Holy Cow!!

Lugo started the inning, kudos to Lugo. Lowell comes up clutch, no surprise there. I had no confidence with Varitek up there but he proved me wrong, amen!!!!

Boston should have pounded Davis anyway. Davis showed me nothing. Not impressed with him at all. He is a pretty amazing story though, hats off to Doug Davis. For all the bad in sports, there are great stories like Davis and Lester.

A great gesture. I just tuned in to watch the tie ball game about to happen. Papelbon can’t get hitters out anymore. They foul off his fastballs and he walks with everything else he throws at them. When Papelbon is doing pickoff attempts it shows just how unconfident he is in his stuff. I think what I need is plain simple beer right now (LOL)

A pretty sad offensive performance until the eighth inning. Maybe I ought to call them pathetic all the time. Seems to wake them up.

Some real positive things tonight. First, Masterson did not fold after a rough start. He gave them six solid innings despite not having his good stuff. That says something about the kid. Chris Smith had his second good outing in a row. I like his approach…… no screwing around, he goes right after hitters. Papelbon gets a save, although I didn’t like the way he pitched to Byrnes. A closer, especially one who is supposed to be overpowering, should never lose that kind of battle. Tek needs to kick his butt.

Hey Brian, you gotta get some of those Kool Aid Singles. They’re great and the perfect fit for a Gatorade bottle. You can take them to work. Bring your gym clothes, go to the men’s room and splash a little water on yourself so people think you’re sweating, grab one of those Kool Aid filled Gatorade bottles, and walk around breathing hard. Everyone will be impressed and you’ll be feeling good.

you have to understand I grew up on the Sox. They trained me to see them as pathetic!
Tamba Bay won tonight so no ground gained but no ground lost either. Papelbon is not the same. He’s weaker this year than last. He used to be unstoppable. Now he’s quite weakened.

FYI – Taravez broke ties with the Brewers. Where will he go now? He was designated for the minors to get him up to speed. Now he’s out of the league unless someone picks him up. Check out the new Taravez porn line it seems!

Wow!!! We got busy at work and I actually had to DO something instead of hang out with you all, haha. GREAT comeback!! Just what the Sox needed. This kid Masterson may be the real deal, so far I like him! Well, once again I got to see about three pitches from him. Maybe he’ll pitch soon on one of my off days. Great game fellas.

Haha, I know you’re being sarcastic, Dave, but if you think what I do is a life, you need to get off Brian’s Kool Aid, lol. I could be the poster-boy for a “finish college” campaign. Fortunately I love what I do.

So it looks like Tek had the winning RBI. The old captain still has some clutch in him. He has taken a lot of abuse here on this blog, but I firmly believe he’s one of the MAIN reasons the Sox are where they are now….that’d be first place fellas, in case you forget! Wish I’d seen that game.

Ladies & Gentlemen: The Sox has found a good spot starter, a long reliever, and/or a setup man. His name is Chris Smith. Those in favor of keeping Smith in the pen, please raise your hand. I just did.
Masterson was good when he was bad.

The small sample I have seen of Smith is good. His change-up is very good. Perhaps this could mean the end of Mike Timlin. All in favor of letting Timlin go, raise your hand. I just did. Father time has passed Mike Timlin, he is north of 40 and that is never a good sign for a reliever. There are only so many innings in that right arm of Timlin’s. He should have retired after last season. I’m sure he wishes he did.

Brian: I am with you. It’s time for Timlin to graciously retire. When Colon returns, keep Masterson and send Okajima to Pawtucket. Sorry to say Oki’s mystique has vanished. Thanks for the good memory of 2007!

I still think Okajima should be given a chance to turn it around. That being said, he shouldn’t pitch when the Sox have a lead. Delcarmen and Aardsma have proven they can get the job done. Go with the hot hand in the pen and right now Okajima is far from hot. I like what I see from Delcarmen and Aardsma, they throw hard and that is what you want coming out of the pen. You need to have guys that can strike people out coming out of the pen.

Timlin has had a great career, he has pitched a long time and very effective. His time has come to an end.

On Tek… the announcers Monday night made a good point… every time he’s gone down for a chunk of time, the Red Sox tank. All he has to do is hit .250 with 10-15 HRs and we’re fine.

No way we’re sending Oki to Pawtucket. Maybe a little more rest would help. Maybe he’s a 3.00 ERA pitcher after all. Maybe we flip him with Lopez as the “premier” lefty in our pen. In any case, he’s here to stay.

Let’s all take a moment to celebrate the Yanks/Mets fortune. Yanks give up 19 hits to the Pirates… Rasner has fully come back to earth… Hawkins ERA is in the stratosphere. I fully expected him to tank and its nice to see its coming true. The Mets fire Willie and end up losing 11-0 at home last night to the Mariners… To quote Tom Petty… “Freeee Fallin…”

Timlin has a lot of achievments, 4 WS rings, I think, and he loves the life of a baseball player. So he won’t retire until he has to. I just hope he goes on his own terms and doesn’t end up being dumped by the Sox. They may have to if he refuses to see the hand-writing on the wall. Of course, that is his decision(to go with dignity or not) and it might be a tough one for him.

Bullpen is coming together. Delcarmen, Aardsma, Smith, Lopez all doing well. Oki needs some confidence and maybe an adjustment or 2, Hanson is having some good outings mixed in with a few bad ones, Farrell will get him going by the end of the year. Papelbon’s in a little funk, but I’ll put my money on him any day of the week. Our weakness is becoming a strength.

I know college can be a tough road. I did it in EE and I hated electrical engineering. My uncle said he would respect me if I took it. He did and I still hated it (LOL)

I would love to see Timlin retire based on what I saw. Smith is great but he’s so young. He needs more time I think but what do I know. I said they would lose last night’s game. Boy was I wrong! I know what will happen. Timlin will return, Smith will go and TImlin will blow 15 games and he’ll say “I’m unhappy with this performance and it’s frustrating” Ya Mike. We know the feeling!

Brian, I understand completely being brought up in the pathetic world of the Red Sox. I guess maybe that’s why when things don’t go so well, we have flashbacks, start sweating, cursing and drinking Kool Aid. Despite the recent good times, and all the therapy we’ve been through since 2004, we have decades of frustration and fear firmly ingrained in our little brains. It’s terrifying to be a Red Sox fan, but there’s nothing better.

I think Papelbon is OK but he may have had his confidence shaken a little. I think his velocity is as good as ever but when a pitcher like him starts screwing around with other pitches, he can get in trouble. His splitter and slider are way inferior to his fast ball. If he’s going to throw those pitches, they better be out of the strike zone for the purpose of getting a hitter to chase. When thrown over the plate, they both hang and that’s when he gets beat. Byrnes turned on a coupe of fast balls, but they were both inside and Byrnes guessed right. However, they were good pitches and there was no way he was keeping them fair. If those pitches are up six inches and on the outside of the plate, Byrnes never catches up with them. I think the fact they he hit them so hard spooked Papelbon (and Tek) a little. Ultimately, he walks Byrnes on a pitch just off the plate…… but like I said, a power closer shouldn’t lose that battle on a walk.

Timlin is somewhat of a mystery. His velocity is still pretty good at around 92-93 and he still doesn’t walk many batters. He’s given up some bombs, but he’s also been snake bitten by a lot of loopers and broken bat crap too. There are nights he goes out there, has good stuff and good location and looks like the Timlin of old. Other nights, he throws everything right down the middle and gets hammered. I think he still has some stuff, but the question is whether he can regain the consistency he needs to be effective.

The guy I’m really concerned about is Dice-K. Here’s a guy who came to the Sox supposedly having 332 pitches, all of which he could throw for a strike at any time. Since his arrival, he has consistently shown a lack of command of all his pitches. He has a very average fast ball and when you can’t throw other pitches for a strike and get ahead of hitters, that’s not a good thing. There’s no question his stuff is real good. Until this last start, he hadn’t been hit hard at all. He just keeps taking himself out of games with walks and high pitch counts. The last start he looked like he had nothing.

Emotionally I do not want to send Oki to Pawtucket either. I just tossed around the idea who should be sent down when Colon returns. I want to keep Masterson and Smith. I know it ain’t gonna happen.
In reality when Colon and Timlin return, Masterson and Smith would likely be gone, temporarily I hope.

I’m with you on your concern of Dice-K and for some reason the Red Sox aren’t. What concerns me about his last start was his velocity wasn’t there. He fooled nobody in that St. Louis lineup. Farrell and Francona don’t seem concerned at all, that is what they are saying thru the press anyway. We’ll find out this weekend against Houston. Astros have a pretty good trio of Berkman, Tejada and Lee, they all hit the ball very hard. Not too mention that tiny park in Houston, the ball flies out of that yard.

Contrasting styles tonight, Wakefield’s against Johnson. A couple of guys that are north of 40. You don’t see that too often. I hope Ramirez snaps out of his funk. He usually does quite well against Randy Johnson. I can see Ramirez hitting one into the Monster seats tonight, let’s see if my crystal ball is in focus, lol.

I don’t think Manny being the D.H. has to do with it. Perhaps his sore hamstrings? He usually hits Johnson well, so we shall see.

When was the last time 2 pitchers over 40 years of age faced each other at Fenway? Has it ever happened? Johnson has had some rough outings this year. I saw a game where K.C. pounded him in Arizona recently. I expect Boston to have some fun with Johnson tonight.

I was reading the Boston Herald online and Oritz said today he is weeks away from returning. Weeks can mean anything. If and when he returns, he will have a hard time adjusting for a while. I am guessing we are going too see him back in August sometime, mid to late August.

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